Five Things You’ll Find in a Formula One Garage on Race Day

Most of us will never have the privilege of stepping into the hallowed space of a Formula One garage on race day. Peopled by only the most talented drivers and motor sport minds, they’re a private sanctum for the teams, and the place where their closest secrets are kept, which explains exactly why they’re not inviting either you or me inside.

But don’t you want to know what you’d spot if you somehow managed to circumnavigate the bar on your entry? Although we can’t help you with the real thing, we can give you a close second…

#1: Data

One of the first things you would see if you stepped into a Formula One garage is data screens. An entire room is given over to these, with monitor after monitor stacked one on top of another. Most teams are so committed to recording every single scrap of information, that they’ll devote a separate specialist engineer to each one.

#2: The Power Unit Plus Team

The power unit that drives a Formula One car is one of the most essential components in determining its competitiveness, so you won’t be surprised that it also has an entire room to itself – plus a whole team of experts to help and advise on how best it can be used to reach its maximum potential.

#3: The Car

Of course, the crowning glory of any Formula One team is the car itself, and the two magnificent motors that each team produces are at the very centre of the garage come race day. Surrounded by swarms of engineers and mechanics whose sole purpose is to achieve the perfect set-up, they sit like queen bees in the middle of their motoring honeycomb, an army of workers buzzing around them.

#4: The Crew

The workers we’ve just referred to are, of course, the brilliant Formula One team crew members. Consisting of some of the most talented minds in motorsport, they range from drivers to engineers, analysts, team bosses, and mechanics. Every one of them has perfectly practised the part they will play in helping their team to try and score a win come race day.

#5: The Spares

There is no way of guaranteeing that everything will go right on the big day, so spares are also essential. From extra tires to hydraulic presses times two, every eventuality is catered for – and a third garage is created to house these many precious parts.

Awe-inspiring, interesting, and insanely intricate, the many pieces that come together to create a Formula One team are hard to imagine when we look in at a garage from the outside, yet every single part is necessary for scoring a team success come race day. Maybe one day you’ll be lucky enough to see all of it up close for yourself.